Leather rolling machine



Sept. 29, 1970 G. s. HEVENOR LEATHER ROLLING MACHINE Filed July 29, 1968 5 Sheets- Sheet l INVENTOR. GILBERT s. HEVENOR ATTORNEYS Sept. 29, 1970 ca. S. HEVENOR LEATHER ROLLING MACHINE Filed July 29, 1968 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

GILBERT S. HEVE NOR Mahdi ATTORNEYS 'Sept. 29, 1970, s, HEVENQR 3,530,694

LEATHER ROLLING MACHINE Filed July 29, 1968 5 Sheets-Sheet :5

(D ID FIG. 3

'INVENTOR. GILBERT s. HEVENOR ATTORNEYS 1 P 9, 1970 G. s. HEVENOR 3,530,694

LEATHER ROLLING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed July 29, 1968 INVENTOR. GILBERT S. HEVENOR BY 1%, JIM- ATTORNEYS United States Patent Oflice Patented Sept. 29, 1970 3,530,694 LEATHER ROLLING MACHINE Gilbert S. Hevenor, Clearfield, Pa., assignor to Howes Leather Company, Inc., Boston, Mass., a corporation of Delaware Filed July 29, 1968, Ser. No. 748,500 Int. Cl. C14b 1/36 U.S. CI. 6946 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention is a machine for rolling leather hides after tanning, and comprises a plurality of balls or rollers arranged in tandem in a single machine in such manner as the leather passes through the machine, it is engaged successively by rollers moving laterally across its surface with sufficient force to compact and polish the leather. The machine incorporates bed plates made of a tough synthetic plastic in a novel manner and combination, the use of such bed plates lessening, if not completely eliminating, the marring of the leather which is encountered in previous machines.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION In the manufacture of leather, particularly leather for shoe soles, it has been customary to compact and polish the leather as part of the finishing operation. This has been done in the past by several different types of machines, such as, for example, a pendulum ball machine, wherein the pendulum ball or roller is automatically moved back and forth across the leather with the proper motion and downward force, but the leather piece itself is handled by hand by the operator, the operator inserting the leather between the roller and the bed plate or anvil of the machine in proper position and timing to receive the full thrust of the roller. This is slow, non-uniform, and if not done carefully, the roller may strike an edge of the leather hide and throw the hide sideways.

Machines have been made in which this operation it has been attempted to do the job semi-automatically, in that the leather is fed into the machine and then the machine takes over and automatically rolls the leather to compact it and polish it as it traverses the machine. However, these machines have not been entirely satisfactory because of the fact that the leather becomes scratched and marred in several different ways in passing through the machinery. Also, it has been found that the leather lengthens and widens during compaction, and the machines made had no provision to allow for this, with the result that the leather buckled and did not roll fiat. Also, to get satisfactory results, it was necessary to pass the leather through the machine several times.

Therefore, one of the objects of the present invention is the provision of a machine for compacting leather and polishing the same, in which the leather traverses the machine from one end to the other, receiving as it does so the compacting and polishing force of a plurality of rollers working against a plurality of beds, but without buckling of the leather.

Another object of the invention is the provision of the last-named class in which each roller compacts more than half, but not the entire, sheet of leather, two successive rollers compacting the entire sheet.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a machine in which the compacting operation is always exerted from the middle of the quarter hide out toward the edge and not in reverse.

A still further object of the invention is to provide any of the machines of the above kinds in which the bed of the machine is formed of synthetic plastic with predetermined hardness and resilience, in order to provide longer life than prior art machines, and to minimize marring of the leather.

Other objects and advantages will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the elements and combinations of elements, features of construction, arrangements of parts, and manipulation of the apparatus all of which will be exemplified in the structures herein after set forth, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which one of the various possible embodiments of the invention is illustrated:

FIG. 1 is an end elevation of the machine of this invention, the view showing the entrance end thereof;

FIG. 2 is a view like that of FIG. 1, but with an entrance set of wringer rollers removed toreveal further details of the machine;

FIG. 3 is a sectional elevation of the machine of this invention, taken in the direction of sight lines 33 on FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an elevation of a sub-combination of the machines showing in greater detail a roller and bed plate thereof;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional elevation of the subcombination of FIG. 4, taken in the direction of sight lines 55 thereon;

FIG. 6 is a side elevation of the FIG. 1 embodiment, given to illustrate certain details of the drivers for the machine wringer rolls; and

FIG. 7 is an elevation of one constructional member.

Throughout the drawings, similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts, and dimensions of certain of the parts as shown may have been modified and/or exaggerated for the purposes of clarity of illustration and understanding of the invention.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 3, the machine of this invention, illustrated generally by numeral 2 comprises a plurality of trapezoidal major frames 4, 6, and 8, each of which comprises suitably dimensioned sides 10 and 12 made of steel I-beams, for example, with the sides being joined at the top by a short cross-bar 14 and approximately at the middle of the long cross-bar 16. These steel beams are joined together with their cross-bars by conventional means, for example, as bywelding. At each side of the tops of the frames and running the entire length thereof are the U-shaped steel channels 18 and 20, to hold and space apart the tops of the frames. The bottoms of the legs 10 and 12 of each frame are welded to flat steel floor plates 22 and 24 in order to hold the frames suitably and rigidly (in cooperation with the girders 18 and 20) spaced and mounted with respect to each other.

Between the major frames 4, 6 and 8 are mounted a plurality of trapezoidal minor frames 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, 40, and 42. (See FIG. 7.) Each of these may, for convenience, conform in shape to the shape of that portion major frame 4, for example, consisting of the cross-bar 16 and the lower ends of the side bars 10 and 12. The ends of these minor frames are also anchored for support to the bed plates 22 and 24 for support. The upper ends of the minor frames and the cross-bars 16 are suitably held by lengthwise extending girders 44 and 46 so as to maintain all of the major and minor frames securely in parallel relationship.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3, supported on a pair of legs comprising, for example, the short, heavy steel plates 66, are a pair of cross-bars 68 which support a pair of U-channels 70 with their backs facing each other and the channels being separated. Mounted on the steel channels 70 are two heavy springs 72, these springs comprising, for example, 5 turns of spring steel rod approximately in diameter, the outside diameter of the spring turns being approximately 5 inches, and the overall length of the springs being approximately 8 inches. Supported on the tops of the springs 72 is a U-channel 74, the support means being the cross-bars 75 welded to the channel. Cross-bars 77 and 78 are welded across the respective ends of the channels 70 and 74, through these pass the tie bolts 76, one at each end, the bolts passing between U-channels 70. Tie bolts 76 are adjustable as to the length by means of the nuts 79 which are threaded on the ends of the tie bolts. By suitably adjusting the position of the nuts on the tie bolts, the separation of the U-channel 74 and channels '70 may be varied, and by a combination of this adjustment and the size and length of the springs 72 together with their adjustment, the total force required to depress the U-channel (which acts as a support for a rolling bed) may be adjusted. The springs 72 are mounted for adjustment upon the threaded adjustable support posts 80 for this purpose, in conventional manner.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 3, attached to the lengthwise girders 18 and 20 on each side of the framework are a plurality of clevises 82 and 84, clevis 82 being on one side and clevis 84 being on the other. Short link arms 86 and 88 have one end journaled in the clevises 82 and 84 and the other end of each of these links is pivoted by secure but conventional means to each of a plurality of dependent pendulum beams 90 and 92, there being three pendulum beams 90 on one side of the machine, and three beams 92 on the other side. Pivotally attached to each of the beams 90 and 92 at a point between the ends thereof, by means of the short shafts 98 and 100, are connecting links 94 and 96, each of these links being in a shape of an inverted-Y, with the stems of the Ys pointing upwardly. Suitable shafts 102 pass through the lower ends of the Y-shaped links 94 and 96 and are journaled in suitable bearings on cross-bars 16, and 26 to 42 inclusive. A pair of the connecting links 94 is provided for each of the pendulums 90, and a pair of connecting links 96 is provided for each pendulum 92.

Attached to legs of the major and minor frames are a plurality of bearing blocks on one side of the machine and 112 on the other. Journalled in bearings 110 are shafts 114 which bear crank-wheels 116, three of which are on one side of the machine for actuating the pendulums 92 on that side of the machine. Journalled in bearings 112, in similar manner, are shafts 118 which bear crank-wheels three of which are provided on the other side of the machine (the right side as viewed in FIG. 1), these actuating the pendulums 90.

The crank-wheels 116 are driven by electric motors 138, and crank-wheels 120 are driven by electric motors 140, all in conventional manner, the motors being mounted preferably on the frames.

Attached to the crank-wheels 120 by one end are the crank-shafts 122, the other ends of which terminate in clevises 124 which are connected pivotally by suitable pivot bearings to the lower ends of the pendulums 90. Extending downwardly from each clevis member 124 is a U-shaped yoke 126 having downwardly turned legs as shown, and between these legs is mounted, on suitable axle and bearings, a roller 128.

In similar fashion, crank-shafts 130 are connected to the crank-wheels 116, and each has at its end a clevis 132 similar to the clevis 124, clevis 132 supporting the U-shaped yoke 134 between the legs of which is mounted a roller 136. Each clevis 132 is pivotally attached by suitable bearings to the lower end of a pendulum 92.

By the above construction in which the pendulums 92 and 100 are supported by their respective linkages and are driven by the crank-shaft members 122-124 and 130- 132, as fully shown in the drawings, after the rollers reach their outer positions (see roller 136 on FIG. 1 which is approaching its outer position) the rollers are moved inwardly, but are lifted out of contact with the leather. When the crank-wheels now begin to pull the rollers outwardly, the rollers are also first moved downwardly to press against the leather. Thus, the total path of each roller approximates a long flat ellipse-like figure. The portion of the path travelled by the roller outwardly when in contact with the leather is almost a straight line. The basic linkage of the pendulums is described in Elements of Mechanism by Schwamb, Merrill and James, 6th edition, pages 142, 143, published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., and in Ingenious Mechanisms for Designers and Inventors, vol. 1, 1935 edit., by Franklin D. Jones, pages 391 to 397, published by the Industrial Press.

Mounted at the entrance end of the machine is a set 141 of power-driven wringer-type rolls 142 and 144, these being mounted within conventional standards 146 and having well-known spring pressure pads 148 mounted on top of the journals for the roll 142 in order to apply a given amount of adjustable force thereto. At the ends of rolls 142 and 144 are mounted the meshing gears 150 and 152 so that roll 142 may be driven by roll 144. Attached to the end of the shaft of roll 144 is a pulley 154, which is driven by means of the motor 156 via the belt 158.

In similar manner, sets 164, 166, 168, and 172 of like wringer rolls are provided between the pendulums, and an exit set 174 of like wringer rolls is provided at the end of the machine.

Attached to the axle of roll 144 is a sprocket wheel 160 on which is trained a chain 162. Chain 162 is trained on a sprocket wheel 176 (see FIG. 6) which drives the bottom roll of the next set 164. Sprocket wheel 176 has fewer teeth than wheel 160, so that the speed of set 164 is greater than set 141. Also mounted on the shaft of sprocket wheel 176 is a second sprocket wheel 178 which in turn chain drives a sprocket wheel 180 on the shaft of the bottom roll of set 166 at a higher rate of Speed than the speed of set 164. A second sprocket wheel 182 on the shaft of wheel 180 in turn chain drives the next set 168 of rolls at a still higher set. A similar arrangement of sprocket wheels and entrained sprocket chains is used to connect and drive the remaining sets 170, 172 and 174 of wringer rolls, each set being driven by, but at a higher speed than, the preceding set of wringer rolls. Thus, as the piece of leather being rolled passes through the machine it is engaged by successive Sets of wringer rolls and is conveyed to the next rolling station, the increased speed of each set of rolls taking care of any increases in the length of the leather, and thus avoiding buckling.

Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 5, there is shown in greater detail a rolling bed or anvil of this invention indicated generally by numeral fastened to the U-channel 74. The bed comprises a flat steel plate 192 on which is cemented or vulcanized a composite bed plate critical to this invention and comprising two sheets 194 and 196 of a durable resilient synthetic resin such, for example, as polyurethane or nylon, polyurethane being preferred. The lower layer 196 is approximately inches thick, six inches wide, and thirty-six inches long. It is made of polyurethane, as an example, having a 60 durometer reading. The upper layer 194 has the same width and length as the lower layer 184, but its durometer is 85 and its thickness about /8 inch. The durometer ratings 60 and 85 are given by way of example only, being the preferred durometers for these two layers. A durometer range of 55 to 65 for the lower layer 196 is suitable, and a range of 80 to 90 for the upper layer 194 is suitable. The upper layer 194 is deliberately made harder than the lower layer in order to withstand wear better, and the lower layer is made thicker than the upper layer and of lower durometer number in order to provide a resilience to the bed or anvil. (The durometer numbers given above were obtained on a Shore Durometer Type A2.)

Bed 190 contrasts sharply with the beds used in previous machines, which generally are made of brass. Beds made of, for example, polyurethane, have been found by experience to have a given resilience which affords a longr life, and imparts a better compacting and polish to the leather passing over it. Furthermore, it has been found by experience that with the beds 190 used throughout the machine as indicated, there is less tendency for the leather to become marked or scored by hard occlusions on or in the leather itself. An additional advantage is the fact that if there are any hard occlusions in the hide being compacted and rolled, the occlusion will temporarily depress the surface of the bed 190, but will ordinarily not leave a permanent mark since the normal recovery of polyurethane will cause the depression to disappear. This is in contrast to the use of brass beds, which often become scored by hard occlusions in the hide being rolled, and these score marks are not thereafter eliminated but continue to evidence themselves by marking leather thereafter running through the machine. Thus, the beds 190 made as described above are to a great extent self-curing (unless the scoring done by the hard object is quite severe), and thus the amount of down-time of the machine to correct any marking of the beds is greatly lessened if not completely eliminated by the use of the beds of this invention.

In addition, by the use of polyurethane, the total cost of the machine is greatly lessened, since the polyurethane can be maintained in stock at a relatively low price, and when it is desired to replace a bed, all that is necessary is to laminate together a pair of polyurethane sheets as described above, these then being vulcanized or cemerited to the steel plate 192 for mounting in the machine. If the polyurethane becomes scratched or marred to the point that it is no longer usable, then it is quite economical to renew its surface by heating and pressing. In the use of brass, however, because of the high cost of the material, it is necessary to send the brass back to a brass foundry for melting, re-casting, and machining thereon a new surface.

Plate 192 is fastened to channel 74 by bolts, as shown.

Also shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 is a roller such as that previously indicated by numeral 128. The body 198 of the roller is made of brass, and has a crowned surface which has been rendered fiat over a portion of its length as indicated by numeral 200. The finished roller or ball is about 5 /2 to 6 inches in diameter, and about 5 inches lon 'l he construction shown in FIG. 5 as to the mounting of the roller 128 on its axle 204 is schematic only, since suitable roller or ball bearings may be provided by means of which the roller itself may be mounted on an axle 204, or the roller 128 may be fixed to the axle and the axle in turn mounted in suitable bearings at the end of the arms of yokes 126 and 134, etc. The method of mounting the rollers so as to revolve in the yokes is not critical to this invention. However, in view of the high forces involved, it is desirable to use either ball bearings or roll bearings for this purpose.

It will be noticed that the bed 190 is mounted on channel 74 somewhat off-center of the channel length, that is, off-center of the vertical center line of the machine. In similar manner, the next succeeding bed with its layers 194, 196 is mounted to be offset of the center line of the machine in the opposite direction. In like manner, succeeding beds are offset alternately throughout the length of the machine. However, it will be observed that the leather 202 being rolled will have a larger than one-half of its width rolled by a first roller, and then the other larger than one-half of the width of the leather will be rolled by the next roller. Thus, each alternate roller engages the leather on its down stroke well within the edge of the leather piece, thus avoiding any chance of a roller catching the edge. This arrangement of having the roller engage the leather just beyond the latters center line also permits some variation in the size of the leather, without catching. Thus, each roller does its work of compressing, compac- 6 tion, and polishing as it moves from just beyond center to the edge of the leather.

Other characteristics of the machine and operational features are as follows: It has been found by experience that the use of the polyurethane bed is quieter in operation, has longer life than brass, and, as pointed out above, does not score the leather as much, if it is marred. Therefore, the use of the polyurethane bed will give a greater yield of usable or marketable leather from the machine.

The use of the two bed or composite bed is important, in that by using the lower layer 106 of polyurethane having a resilience, it is found that this improves the life of the bed as a whole and also makes more uniform the compaction of the leather. At the same time, the use of the harder polyurethane upper layer 194 results in a greater wear.

The crank wheels are driven at approximately rpm. and are about 32 inches. Since the rollers are approximately 5 /2 inches to six inches in diameter, this results in a cyclic lineal speed of the rollers (across the piece of leather being rolled) varying from zero at each end of its stroke to approximately 1100 feet per minute at the center.

Each of the wringer rolls 142 and 144 and succeeding rolls are approximately 6 to 6 /2 inches in outside diameter. The speed of the front feed rolls 142, 144 is approximately at the rate of 15 r.p.m., with the result that the leather is fed into the machine at the rate of approximately 24 feet per minute. However, as the leather progresses through the machine, the drive ratios between the respective rolls 164, 166, 168, 172 and 174 increases steadily so that the final exit rolls are turning at the rate of approximately 20 r.p.m. This corresponds to an exit rate of approximately 32 feet per minute. The rolls slip slightly on the leather, thus keeping it taut for better working.

The operation of the device is as follows: A sheet of leather 206 is introduced between the entrance wringer rolls 142, 144 and the machine is started. All motors are running. The wringer rolls of the entrance group feed the leather beneath the first roller 128 and the first polyurethane bed 190. As the leather passes between the two, the roller 12S compacts and polishes one lateral-half of the leather. The leather is gripped by the second set of feed rolls 164 and is then fed between the second roller 136 and its corresponding bed. The other half of the leather is thus compacted. From the roller 136, the leather is then gripped by the next pair of wringer rolls 166 and fed to the next roller 128, and its bed, for compaction. In like manner, the leather progresses through the remaining beds and rollers of the machine, finally to emerge from the last set of rollers 174 in a compacted and polished condition.

In view of the above, it will be seen that the several objects of the invention are achieved and other advantageous results attained.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, since the invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also, is is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.

As many changes could be made in the above constructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description, or shown in the accompanying drawings, shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense, and it is also intended that the appended claims shall cover all such equivalent variations as come within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

Having described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. A leather compacting machine comprising:

a support;

rolling means mounted on the support for reciprocating motion with respect thereto, the motion of the rolling means being substantially a straight line over approximately one-half of the total cycle of motion;

drive means for moving the rolling means with reciprocating motion;

a bed having a working surface and so mounted in respect to the rolling means that the plane of said working surface is parallel to the plane containing said stright line, and the rolling means traverses at least a portion of the length of the bed; said bed comprising a plurality of layers of synthetic resin bonded together, the top layer of the bed being harder than the adjacent lower layer, and the lower layer being more resilient than the top layer; and

means for resiliently adjusting the distance between said working surface and said rolling means so that leather will be compacted as it passes between the rolling means and said bed.

2. The machine of claim 1 in which said rolling means comprises a pendulum pivotally connected to the support by a linkage such that the motion of the lower end of the pendulum moves along said straight line, with a roller rotatably mounted at said lower end and adapted to press leather between itself and said bed.

3. A leather compacting machine comprising:

a support having a top portion;

a plurality of rolling means mounted along the length of the machine, for reciprocating motion with respect thereto, the motion of each rolling means being substantially a straight line over approximately one-half the total cycle of motion;

drive means for said plurality of rolling means;

a plurality of beds mounted with respect to the plurality of rolling means, one bed for each rolling means, each bed having a working surface lying in a plane parallel to the plane containing said straight line and each rolling means traversing at least a portion of the length of its respective bed; each of said beds comprising a plurality of layers of synthetic resin bonded together, the top layer of each bed being harder than the adjacent lower layer, and the lower layer being more resilient than the top layer;

means for resiliently adjusting the distance between each of said working surfaces and its respective rolling means so that leather will be squeezed as it passes between each rolling means and its bed and thus compacted;

a plurality of sets of feed rolls one of which is positioned between each pair of said rolling means, a first set of which is positioned before the first of said rolling means, and the last set of which is positioned after the last of said rolling means; and

drive means for turning said sets of feed rolls at a progressively greater speed from said first set to said last set, whereby, when leather being compacted between said rolling means and said beds stretches longitudinally in the direction of its passage through the machine, the increased feed speed of each successive set of feed rolls accommodates the increase in length of the leather.

4. The machine of claim 1 in which each of said rolling means comprises a pendulum pivotally connected to the support by a linkage such that the motion of the lower end of the pendulum moves along said straight line,

with a roller rotatably mounted at said lower end and adapted to press leather between itself and said bed.

5. A leather compacting machine comprising:

a support;

a plurality of rolling means mounted on the support along the length of the machine, for reciprocating motion with respect thereto, the motion of each rolling means being substantially a straight line over approximately one-half of the total cycle of motion;

drive means for moving the rolling means with reciprocating motion;

a plurality of beds, one bed for each rolling means and each bed having a working surface lying in a plane parallel to plane containing said straight line and being positioned to be traversed by its respective rolling means;

means for resiliently adjusting the distance between said beds and their respective rolling means whereby leather passing between the rolling means and beds will be squeezed and thus compacted;

a plurality of sets of feed rolls one of which is positioned between each rolling means, a first set of which is positioned before the first of said rolling means, and the last set of which is positioned after the last of said rolling means; and

drive means for turning said sets of feed rolls at a progressively greater speed from said first set to said last set, whereby, when leather being compressed between said rolling means and said beds stretches longitudinally in the direction of its passage through the machine, the increased feed speed of each successive set of feed rolls accommodates the increase in length of the leather.

6. The machine of claim 5 in which said rolling means comprises a pendulum pivotally connected to the support by a linkage such that the motion of the lower end of the pendulum moves along said straight line, with a roller rotatably mounted at said lower end and adapted to press leather between itself and said bed.

7. A work-supporting bed for the reciprocating roller leather compacting machine, comprising a pair of sheets of a tough, synthetic resin bonded to each other, the top sheet being the leather-contacting sheet and being harder than the bottom sheet, and the bottom sheet being more resilient than the top sheet; and a metal base, said bottom layer being attached to said base.

8. The bed of claim 7 in which the plastic is polyurethane.

9. The bed of claim 7 in which the top sheet is approximately inch thick and has a durometer hardness in the range of to 90, and the bottom sheet is approximately inch thick and has a durometer hardness in the range of 55 to 65.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,396,421 3/1946 Henning 69-46 2,540,132 2/1951 McMath et al. 69-46 2,776,236 1/1957 Staehle 161-166 X 2,792,321 5/1957 Fredericks l61166 X 2,956,915 10/1960 Korn et al. 161-213 X 3,030,249 4/1962 Schollenberger et a1. 161214 X ALFRED R. GUEST, Primary Examiner 

